''Helicopter Canada'' (aka ''Hélicoptère Canada'') is a 1966 Canadian

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

and directed by Eugene Boyko. The film features

aerial photography Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing airc ...

of all ten of

Canada's provinces Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

. ''Helicopter Canada'', sponsored by the Canada's Centennial Commission, was produced for international distribution in both French and English language versions for Canada's 100th anniversary.

Synopsis

The short documentary offers a narrated tour from a helicopter of the Canadian provinces in 1966. The bird's-eye view showed both familiar and little-known aspects of the Canadian landscape. Among the featured film locations are: the Badlands, Alberta; Oak Island, Nova Scotia; Ottawa; Montréal; Québec City; Niagara Falls;

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...

of the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

; Toronto; Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Cast

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

(cameo) *

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

Production

Filmed in

Panavision Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company founded in 1953 specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses dur ...

, ''Helicopter Canada'' took 18 months to produce and required cinematographer Eugene Boyko to spend 540 hours aloft in a specially outfitted Alouette II helicopter. ''Helicopter Canada'' was made for international distribution during the

Canadian centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1, 1967. Commemorative coins ...

. Columbia Pictures bought the rights for a 22-minute version that was distributed internationally, including the USSR, USA, China and Italy. Besides French, the film was translated into 12 languages.Clark, Domini
"Canada’s Oscar nod in 1967? A cringe-worthy Canuck tribute."
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', 13 February 2015. Retrieved: 8 January 2016.

Reception

Although now considered dated, ''Helicopter Canada'', during its initial release, received positive reviews. Joan Fox wrote in ''

'', "If this film doesn’t stir your Canadian blood, nothing will."

Awards

* 19th Canadian Film Awards,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

: Best Film, General Information, 1967 * 19th Canadian Film Awards,

: Special Prize: “For providing a superbly appropriate and inspiring opportunity for Canadians to view their country in the Centennial Year”, 1967Wis
2001, pp. 97–98.
/ref>"Helicopter Canada."
''National Film Board of Canada''. Retrieved: 8 January 2016. * Canadian Travel Film Awards,

: First Prize, 1967 * International Travel Documentary Film Festival,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

: Special Prize, 1967 *Adelaide International Film Festival,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

: Diploma, 1969 *

39th Academy Awards The 39th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1966, were held on April 10, 1967, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope. Only two of the Best Picture nominees were nominated fo ...

, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Documentary Feature, 1967"The 39th Academy Awards (1967), Nominees and Winners."
''Oscars.org''. Retrieved: 8 January 2016."Details: 'Helicopter Canada' (1967)."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Retrieved: 8 January 2016.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Wise, Wyndham. "Helicopter Canada." ''Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film''. Toronto:

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university cale ...

, 2001. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Helicopter Canada 1966 films 1966 documentary films Canadian aviation films Canadian documentary films Canadian Centennial Aerial photography Documentary films about aviation Documentary films about Canada English-language Canadian films Films shot in Canada Canadian Screen Award-winning films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Travelogues Films produced by Tom Daly 1960s English-language films 1960s Canadian films